Catholic Bishop in Eswatini Calls for Prayers for Success of Planned IMBISA Golden Jubilee

The Golden Jubilee celebration of the nine-nation entity of Catholic Bishops in Southern Africa has been organized on the theme, “IMBISA Golden Jubilee: A synodal journey, nourished by compassion and blossoming in faith as pilgrims of hope.”

In his speech at the opening Eucharistic celebration for the launch of the Jubilee in  May last year, Bishop Siphiwo Paul Vanqa of South Africa’s Catholic Diocese of Queenstown said the theme is in line with that of the Synod on Synodality, in which the people of God are called upon to listen, discern, and walk together.

“The theme captures the essential activities of IMBISA, namely, to bring the Bishops of the region together and enable them to act in common,” Bishop Vanqua said about the theme of the event that will gather Bishops from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

The coming together of IMBISA members “shows the communion of their Dioceses with each other,” he said during the Holy Mass that was part of the May 6-10 meeting of the IMBISA Standing Committee in Eswatini’s Catholic Diocese of Manzini. The May event marked the beginning of the year of preparations ahead of the Golden Jubilee in 2025.

The South African-born member of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (SAC.) also highlighted the relevance of the theme in the life and ministry of IMBISA members.

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“The Second Vatican Council teaches that one of the tasks of a Bishop is to be in solitude for the whole church. In other words, the Bishop cares for all the people of God through his attitude and actions,” Bishop Vanqa said. 

In his opening remarks during the launch, the President of IMBISA highlighted challenges the people of God in the nine Southern African nations grapple with, and advocated for a collaborative approach in addressing them.

“We have the problem of drought that exposes many people to hunger, frequent floods, and tropical depressions that cause a lot of suffering to our people,” Archbishop Liborius Ndumbukuti Nashenda said.

Archbishop Nashenda also highlighted other challenges, including “migration, especially forced migration, a violation of the most basic human rights, corruption, conflicts, and wars.”

In his August 19 letter, Bishop Ponce de León also reflected on the  2025 Diocesan Pilgrimage to Florence Spiritual Centre and emphasized on the need to foster works of mercy.

“It is my wish that our Spiritual Centre become a place where we experience God’s mercy and from where we spread God’s mercy to our families, communities, sodalities and parishes,” he said.

Lauding Spazio Spadoni based in Italy for financing the spiritual centre, Bishop Ponce de León said, “I request that banners are placed where they can be seen all year round and not only on certain days.”

“I encourage catechism teachers, the youth and our sodalities to make good use of them. May they also ‘visit’ our outstations,” he said. 

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.